Our approach to sustainability

For the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (the Group) sustainability initiatives are an integral part of delivering the Group’s strategic priorities and creating value for shareholders. 

We have a number of initiatives in place to:

• deliver cost-savings through eco-efficiency;
• build an organisational culture that supports customer service excellence;
• manage risks and identify new commercial opportunities associated with climate change and carbon trading;
• create strong and lasting relationships with our community
• provide a workplace that attracts and retains the best people.

These activities are part of being a well-managed organisation committed to delivering long-term shareholder value.

 

Future Developments

The Group has identified five priority areas for sustainability that we plan to focus on in 2008-2009:

• Embedding sustainability into business processes, which includes an increased incorporation of environmental and social issues into management and decision-making processes.
• Supporting diversity and financial wellbeing in the community by continuing our focus on financial literacy, and an increased focus on educational and employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians as part of our Reconciliation Action Plan.
• Helping customers to meet their sustainability goals by developing products and services to meet their evolving needs.
• Creating greener workplaces by setting a greenhouse gas reduction target, as well as addressing measurement and reporting of water and waste data.
• Continuing to build a culture of customer service excellence, with a focus on leadership, recruitment and reward to ensure culture is aligned with our goal of being Australia’s finest financial services organisation.